Edwyn Collins comes back big

Tools

The history of Edwyn Collins is being celebrated via a new retrospective of his legendary outfit Orange Juice, it’s true. But the brilliant tunesmith is back in ways his fans could never imagine after a cerebral hemorrhage in 2005 threatened to close the book on his fabled career forever.

Initially incapacitated, the man bravely fought back, and by 2007 was feeling chipper enough to hit the stage again. By 2008, he was actively composing again, and hard at work on new material in his West Heath Studios. That’s when well-wishers began chiming in.

For his seventh “Losing Sleep” — finally seeing stateside release on March 22, with a full U.S. tour to follow — Collins was first joined by longtime fans Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand renown for the kinetic cut “Do It Again.” They co-wrote the song with him and appear in its new video, as well.

Also lending a hand during the sessions: Johnny Marr, The Drums, The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman, and even Roddy Frame and Dave Ruffy from Aztec Camera. It’s nice to know you have friends when the chips are down, and Collins has got ’em in spades.